Page 3 of Resorting to Love
I’ll never be that relaxed. Not even close. I won’t beanylevel of relaxed until I get Eli off my porch and out of my mandated vacation.
“I’m going to let you in,” I say, narrowing my gaze at him. “But only so you can get dressed, collect your stuff, and leave me alone.”
The wattage has decreased on his smile when I open the door, but he still looks happier than I can recall being during the past few years. Okay, I may have been that happy watching my little sister get married. But Esme’s wedding was a big event, not some random moment of standing around naked.
“You really drove ten hours to get here?” he asks, after I close the door behindhisbehind. Damn his buns of steel for being so unignorable.
“Yes, I really did. If I say it, I mean it.” I give him my back when he drops the pillow on his way to the bedroom. “And you can take that pillow with you when you go. I don’t want to lay my head on it and smell your sweaty balls.”
“They’re not sweaty, I just had a shower. That’s why I was naked when you burst in and eye-fucked me.”
I ball my hands into fists, squeeze my eyelids shut, and growl rather than give him the protest he’s clearly hoping for.
“They smell like summer,” he says, his words sliding into my ear when he comes up behind me like a stealthy, sexy ninja. “Sunshine and citrus.”
I spin on the spot, a knee-jerk reaction that puts me face to face with Eli. Like an idiot, I inhale—and get caught in the act. Shit. Recovery time. “Yup, I smell it. Lemons. As in, duds,” I say, smirking in his handsome face.
“No duds here, sweetheart. Everything’s in perfect working order.” He winks, then grabs my hand and heads for the door.
“What are you doing?” I tug against his hold like a cantankerous child, but he doesn’t let go. “You’rethe only one who’s supposed to be leaving.”
“Trust me, this is going to be better. You’ll be relaxed in no time.”
I huff, because his assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. Relaxation takes effort, it doesn’t come naturally to me. Still, I tag along without further protest. Whatever he has in mind, I’m sure I’m not in danger. We’re in public. I have a purple belt in Brazilian jujitsu. Though, those aren’t the reasons I voluntarily go along with him. It’s the tingle radiating through me from his hand holding mine.
I’ll never give him the satisfaction of knowing it, but I like the way his hand feels. Warm skin with just the right amount of roughness. A grip firm enough to assert control, without being domineering. I’m sure he’s only holding my hand to prevent me from taking off. My sex-deprived body doesn’t care about the logistics of the innocent contact—it wants more. All the mores it can get. The only thing at risk around Eli is my celibate streak.
“Why are you dragging me to the main lodge, anyway? They screwed up, I’m sure they would’ve sent a porter out to transfer your stuff and deliver a key to your proper cabin. I don’t want to make a scene at the front desk. Making a scene isn’t my scene,” I say, giving him what I hope is a friendly smile, rather than the range of grumpy expressions I’ve shown him so far.
Though he’s barely stopped smiling since we met, the one curving his lips now is different. It’s personal. Affectionate, even. So is the gentle squeeze he gives my hand. “No scene, I promise. We’re not going there to complain.”
“Good.” The fluttery feeling in my chest is…nice. Nice with a side ofoh shit what have I done, but nice. “If you didn’t want help from the resort staff, I still don’t understand why you didn’t just leave my cabin.”
“I checked in this morning. My stuff’s all unpacked. I’ve showered, as you know,” he says, winking, then chuckling when an angry-kitten sound rumbles in my throat. “You’re adorable when you scowl.”
“And you’re terrible at pickup lines.”
“Probably because I never have to use them.”
I roll my eyes hard enough to give myself a twitch. Just when I think I could like him, he snaps back to cocky mode. Definitely not letting Eli travel south ofmyborder now. His ego is bigger than the Appalachian Mountains framing the resort.
“Truce,” he says, giving my hand another gentle squeeze. “I swear I’m not consciously trying to irritate you.”
“It just comes naturally?”
“Sort of.” There’s a grin on his face, and no shame in his voice. “You’re a beautiful woman, and you’re incredibly sexy when you’re snarky.”
“If you’re buttering me up for something, it won’t work.”
“No butter, Chloe. Just the truth.” He releases my hand when we reach the door, opening it and ushering me through ahead of him, like a gentleman. Not too gentlemanly, though. He places his palm on my lower back, leaving it there as we cross to the desk.
The firm pressure of his warm hand sends a ripple of longing to my core. My lady cabin has had a vacancy for so long, the light burned out. Eli has it flickering back to life, though. The vibrator I packed is going to need its own vacation after I get through with it.
“Eli, oh wow, hi. I know I’m supposed to treat you the same as everyone else, but I still can’t believe you’re staying here.” The twenty-something woman behind the front desk’s voice is breathy, and her pulse is visibly hammering in her neck. “What can I do for you? Anything you need, anything at all, I’m never more than a few minutes away. I have an employee cabin of my own.”
I choke back a snort, because the unspoken offer in the desk clerk’s words is as obvious as the button nose on her cute face.
Eli is a good-looking, sexy man. Absolutely. But her reaction to him, her comment of disbelief that he’s staying here…Sheobviously knows who he is, and thinks he’s a big deal. Maybe he actuallyisfamous. I’ll have to Google him later. Asking him is out of the question. I can only imagine the bloated-head response that would trigger.
